Carnival Cruise Line this week sailed its last roundtrip cruise out of Charleston, S.C. The Carnival Sunshine's new home will be Norfolk, Va.
The ship departed Charleston on Dec. 30 with calls in Nassau and Half Moon Cay on its itinerary. The ship is scheduled to return on Saturday, Jan. 4. After a drydock, the Sunshine will sail its first cruise from Norfolk, an eight-night itinerary departing Feb. 16. The Sunshine will sail from Norfolk year-round.
With the final voyage, a 14-year partnership between Carnival and the South Carolina Ports Authority has ended. The port authority in 2022 opted not to renew with Carnival.
Union Pier Terminal will no longer be a homeport for large cruise ships, and its long-term future as a cruise facility is in doubt. According to Live 5 News WCSC, Union Pier Terminal could be redeveloped.
For now, the port will sparingly welcome cruise ships for port calls, such as Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas, the Celebrity Silhouette, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' Europa 2, and the Viking Polaris and Viking Octantis on their repositioning cruises after the Antarctica season.
American Cruise Lines, whose coastal ships carry fewer than 200 passengers, will continue to homeport in Charleston and sail to Amelia Island, Fla. New this year, American Cruise Lines is offering a pre-cruise overnight hotel stay in Charleston or Amelia Island.